Black Australorp or Jersey Giant?

[LaurenRitz]

I got my chicks a few weeks ago. Won't go into all the nonsense from the hatchery.

I bought three BA's and three JJ's. All looked identical as day old chicks, no banding to identify although the hatchery said the JJ's should have been banded. Two of the six died within 48 hours. So now I theoretically have 3 of one and 1 of the other, or 2 of each.

I still can't tell them apart. They're about 4 weeks old now--i.e., I've had them about four weeks. One is growing much faster than the other three, but as far as I can tell the coloring is identical except that one has white wingtips. That is NOT the one that is growing faster. Two appear to be graying out, not staying pure black. One of those is the larger.

I've been trying to find out visual differences between BA's and JJ's online (chicks, specifically), but I can't really find anything. I haven't been fast enough to catch them and check the bottoms of their feet. All appear to have gray or black legs.

They'll grow up to be whatever they are, but I'd like to know how to tell the difference.

 

[HappyClucker7]

You can tell by looking at the bottoms of their feet. BAs have white skin, so the bottoms of their feet will be a cream white color. JJs have yellow skin, so the bottoms of their feet will be yellow.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Thanks, but I haven't been able to catch them to check their feet. I'm old and slow. Maybe in a few years I'll enter my second childhood and be faster.

 

[HappyClucker7]

Thanks, but I haven't been able to catch them to check their feet. I'm old and slow. Maybe in a few years I'll enter my second childhood and be faster.

Other than checking their feet, there's really no way to tell until they are fully grown.

 

[AGeese]

Black Jersey Giants from Meyer have black legs, but for the longest while I thought mine could be Australop.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Those in your picture are Jersey Giants? They DO look like BA's!

 

[AGeese]

Those in your picture are Jersey Giants? They DO look like BA's!

Yes and the thing with hatcheries is they're in the business of moving lots of birds rather than SOP. From my experience also don't provide you with any record or certification of genetics. This allows them to keep their stock up with birds they have on hand I would imagine, but might also be because it's not in their interest since they are either for resellers, or the general public which doesn't care about SOP.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks, but I haven't been able to catch them to check their feet. I'm old and slow. Maybe in a few years I'll enter my second childhood and be faster.

Catch them at night when they're roosting.

Then either put them into pet carriers to give them a good inspection first thing in the morning (they'll be fine in a pet carrier in the coop as long as you're out there first thing come daylight), or use a headlamp to inspect them then and there.

 

[LaurenRitz]

One was hiding under the brooder plate. So I got three of them.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I did notice that the two that are going "gray" both have white wingtips. The largest two do not, and they're still solid black.